Any thoughts on the 3 Tarot cards?

I've read through the forum and didn't see any threads regarding the Tarot Cards Bigby found in the business office, One of them with a guy lying there with swords sticking around can be collected so it must be of some use. So, any thoughts?

For what it's worth, here's what the cards are supposed to mean in Tarot readings. (These interpretations may not be entirely accurate, but it's not like the stuff is real anyway. :P )

Strength: Fortitude of character, being able to rise above the obstacles in your way.

The Tower: Heavy changes and destruction. Usually carries a negative connotation, but can sometimes be interpreted as a good thing (e.g.: a bad part of your life being destroyed to make way for something better).

There's many interpretations for Tarot Cards... some say that Strength rather represents the Inner Fight , inner power to change yourself. Then the Tower is usually Chaos , Destruction ... The tower comes before The Devil (in tarot cards). The Ten of Swords ... it's very hard to guess this one. However , generally the last card you pick in the Tarot Fortune Game symbolizes the final result , the inevitable fate.
So ... I would say the Ten of Swords symbolizes fate ... which is pretty disturbing if you think about it. (ten of swords = guy stabbed by 10 swords ... must be a painful death)

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Thanks for the input, I think that makes a lot of sense, the first to cards clearly shows a big wolf and a dead girl. Given that Bigby will turn into the giant wolf later, he probably becomes a public enemy of the fabletown at some point.

I think the same as you. But to me strength means that you have accept the death of someone, like Snow. The tower could be someone trying to get the spot of Wolf, to be the new sheriff. And the ten of swords shows a guy stabbed one the back. Probably a betrayal.

Strength to fight an inner struggle? Maybe this is meant to symbolise Bigby fighting to change himself and not give into his wolf side constantly. as his bio suggests. I support this

The Tower ... I go with "a piece of your past being destroyed" this could be bad.. (something happening to Colin) or good (Bluebeard being killed etc)

the last one .. Knowing they can't do anything too major to Bigby with it being a prequel and everything.. although I wished it was a non-canon spin off at this point. Could it represent hate... from the community?

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I wonder how much they can really do with the story here. I haven't read the comics, but I know that Snow is alive in them so that ending came as quite a surprise. I really can't fathom where they're going from there, but it will either be really stupid or really clever - I'm betting on clever.

Maybe the whole story takes place in a Fables version of The Matrix? HMMMMMM!

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One thing that I noticed is that the Strength and Tower cards are slightly different than are usually depicted in a traditional rider-waite deck. Strength is generally pictured as a woman holding a lion by the jaw, in the game she's holding wolf. I think the reasons for that are obvious. I assume the woman represents Snow. Especially because of the backstory with Snow and Bigby. Also, if you've read the comics (or if you read their backstory under the "Bigby's Mercy" entry), it makes even more sense.

The Tower is two people falling from a lightning struck tower in a traditional deck. Here, again, it's different. It's a woman lying on the ground in front of the tower while a man looks down in horror. Also, it was a prince and princess on the card in the game, correct? I had guessed that that was Faith & Lawrence, though it could have been Snow & Bigby again.

The Ten of Swords is basically how it usually is. Though, to me the figure on the card bore a resemblance to Bigby.

With it being 3 cards, this could symbolize a typical "Past, Present, Future" spread. The past is inner strength, fortitude, etc. The present could be the incident with the girl, the catastrophe that seemingly came out of nowhere and shook everything up. The future? Doesn't look good. Ruin, despair, possibly backstabbing or betrayal.

Also, was I the only one who found it interesting that those three cards were on Ichabod's desk? Why would he have them there? Just those three and not the whole deck? And, maybe we'll be seeing Jack soon, since he was mentioned.

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Keeping in mind that tarot cards are generally shown in sets of three because they represent a person's past, present and future and that their meanings tend to interact with each other, I have some interpretations:

The first card was "Strength" and it depicts Bigby's past. The image of a woman embracing a wolf seems to represent Bigby's relationship with Snow, and implies that she is a figure who has been a source of strength for Bigby in the past. Seeing as how he's already a semi-invulnerable powerhouse, this "strength" likely refers to his ability to control himself and do the right thing.

The second card was "The Tower" and it depicts Bigby's present. It shows a woman having fallen from a tower while a man looks on in horror. It's generally associated with sudden, catastrophic change and probably represents what ends up happening to Snow at the end of the episode. Basically, the source of strength that Bigby had come to rely upon is lost and as a result, he's more likely to lash out at others.

The third one is "The Ten of Swords" and it depicts Bigby's future. The image is of a man lying on the ground, stabbed by ten swords in his back. It pretty much means that the worst possible thing that could happen to Bigby is about to happen to him, potentially as an indirect result of the sudden, catastrophic change in his present. Based on the image, I would venture a guess that the "worst possible thing" that ends up happening is the entire Fabletown community turning on him, "stabbing him in the back." Combined with the other two, it could mean that Bigby's reaction to Snow's loss could cause him to do things that would alienate him from the town and cause them to turn on him.

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I like your explanation very much, but it could also just be about the episode.

Past (Strength) - Exactly what you said

Present (Tower) - He found the tarot deck when he had just discovered Faith's head.

Future (Ten of Swords) - Didn't he love Snow? So having her die would be like horrible, and to have a connection between what the Mirror says about "friend on friend" and the Tarot Deck I am willing to assume the mastermind behind it all is someone close to Bigby (but then again that goes even without the Tarot Deck).

With the 'friend on friend' stabbing in the back thing Bigby may just lash out. Have you ever played Team Fortress 2 if so you know how annoying it can be why a spy who you thing is your team mate stabs you in the frigin' back. Like Colin said about having friends, maybe just maybe Bigby might have a fit and hurt somebody creating chaos and causing somebody close to turn on him. It certainly looks as if he will in the Episode 2 preview with pushing the chair over, threating Ichabod and fighting with Beast. All allighing within the plot, which makes the rest of the fables 'back-stab' Bigby.